Product Review: Trader Joe’s Shrimp or Vegetable Thai Gyoza & True Thai Tom Yam Soup

So yesterday we took a trip to Trader Joe’s. Obviously this ended with us buying a plethora of new TJ products to try. Then I figured, why not share our opinions? Anyways, after our trip to the store we decided to try out 3 of the products we purchased: the Shrimp Gyoza, Vegetable Gyoza, and Tom Yam Soup. 

1) Trader Joe’s Thai Shrimp Gyoza 

We cooked half of a bag of these along with half a bag of vegetable gyoza, and topped it with dumpling sauce. They were a lot larger than I had expected and a lot more delicious! The shrimp gave these gyoza a bit more texture, and you can actually see the bits of shrimp. Would we buy this again? Yes! 

2) Trader Joe’s Thai Vegetable Gyoza (Vegetarian/Vegan) 

These looked (and tasted) a lot like the shrimp gyoza. They were large, filling, and delicious! Everyone agreed the vegetable gyoza were just as good as the shrimp gyoza. The only difference is that you don’t get the little chunks of shrimp, but overall the taste is pretty similar. I like that we put half and half into the mixture, and we will definitely be purchasing more of TJ’s gyoza in the future for a quick and easy meal!

3) Trader Joe’s Tom Yam Soup (Vegetarian/Vegan)  & 

This one is a hit or miss. For me, I found it too acidic. It tasted like someone had added some lemon/lime juice to the top before I took a bite. With that being said, others loved this. Apparently, Tom Yam is supposed to be a little acidic and served atop rice (something we did not do). Maybe I would have liked it more had I served it on rice. I should also note that this is a single serve soup. We all only had a couple of spoonfuls, but now we know who would eat it and who wouldn’t haha! I personally would not buy this again, but I’m sure others in the family will. 

Hope these were helpful! I will be posting more product reviews as we try out the rest of the groceries. But in the meantime:

Does anyone have a TJ product they recommend?

Soba Noodles with Peanut Ginger Sauce

2 grains, 2 proteins, 1 vegetable

Growing up, I had buckwheat, or “Kasha”, all the time. It is one of the most popular grains in Russia and is often served with mushrooms and butter. There is even a Russian proverb, “Маслом кашу не испортишь” , or “You can’t spoil Kasha with butter”.

Sadly, I didn’t know how to translate “grechnevaya kasha” to English until I was in college. When friends came over for dinner I usually stuck with “this oat, rice, kasha stuff…you’ll like it don’t worry”.

They probably worried.
On the other hand in Japan, soba, meaning buckwheat, is usually eaten in noodle form. Soba noodles are high in fiber, B vitamins, and full of minerals like manganese. Although the protein is not complete, it is a higher quality protein than regular spaghetti.

To complete the protein I added nuts, seeds, and edamame to the dish. It was absolutely delicious!

Peanut Ginger Dressing:

1 tbsp PB2 [1/2 protein]

1 garlic clove

1/2 tbsp chopped ginger

1/2 tbsp tamari

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp water

Noodles: 

3.5 oz soba noodles, cooked [2 grains, 1/2 protein]

1/4 cup grated carrots

1/6 bell pepper, julienne cut

3/4 cup edamame, spinach, broccoli blend [1 vegetable, 1 protein]

>>Cook soba noodle according to package. Steam vegetables or sauté in 1 tsp oil. Combine noodles and vegetables in a dish, pour dressing, and stir. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds or chopped peanuts.